Davis joins GOP colleagues to introduce massive sanctions bill against Putin

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) joined 37 other Republican cosponsors of a bill that would sanction Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Federation for increasing aggression in Eastern Europe. 

“Russia is on the verge of invading Ukraine, and since President Biden won’t lead, Congress must step in before it’s too late,” Rep. Davis said. “That’s why I’m joining my Republican colleagues in supporting the toughest sanctions on Russia ever proposed by Congress. Our adversaries will only respond to strength. It’s time we stop Biden’s coddling of dictators like Putin and get tough on Russia before war breaks out.”

The Putin Accountability Act, H.R. 6422, which is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), includes numerous proposed sanctions on the Russian Federation that include those that are financial or for property, visas, and myriad others, according to the text of the bill. 

For example, H.R. 6422 would kick Russia out of the International Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) code system that operates as an intermediary and executor of financial transactions between banks worldwide, according to a section-by-section bill summary.

Additionally, mandatory sanctions would be placed on the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline, including any entities involved in its construction, maintenance or financing, and repeal the waiver present in current law as part of the Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act, the summary says.

“President Biden’s foreign policy has put America in a position of weakness on the world stage and emboldened our adversaries,” said Rep. Davis. “Biden’s tough talk on the campaign trail was just that – talk. Now that he is in office, Biden drops sanctions against Russia and allows them to build their own massive international pipeline, enriching Putin and his allies, even as he shuts down pipelines here at home.”

If enacted, H.R. 6422 also would designate Russia as a State Sponsor of Terrorism; create new mandatory sanctions on kleptocrats and senior political figures in Russia including anyone who participates, aids or assists the Russian government in any subversive activity against the United States; and would prohibit any arms control negotiations or strategic stability dialogue with Russia until the president can certify that Russia is completely out of Ukraine, among other provisions.

Sanctions would be imposed on Putin, his family members, mistress, and network of kleptocratic oligarchs, as well.

Additional cosponsors of the bill include U.S. Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE), John Curtis (R-UT), Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), Michael Burgess (R-TX), Blake Moore (R-UT), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), and Brad Wenstrup (R-OH).